Celebrate International Museum Day for two weeks in Animal Crossing

Have you not been living your best life vicariously through Animal Crossing?

Museums, aquariums, and art galleries have been making good use of “Animal Crossing: New Horizons.” Now the hit Nintendo game has a special activity for players to mark International Museum Day via a two-week event.

International Museum Day may only last 24 hours, but “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” players have two weeks to join in the fun. Players only need to have updated to April 22nd’s version 1.2 and helped open an island museum in order for the event to go live on their Switch consoles.

The Nintendo Switch sensation sold 13 million copies within its first six weeks on sale earlier this year, over half that of the system’s bestselling title “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe” (24 million in three years).

As public gatherings and tourist attractions have closed to help stop the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, some cultural institutions have been using “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” to continue their outreach via live-streamed virtual tours. That’s because after a few days’ acclimatizations, and with a handful of fish and bugs donated to island entrepreneur Tom Nook, studious owl Blathers arrives to set up his own tent.

Blathers’ building project requires another batch of donations, and those bugs, fish and fossils allow him to replace humble canvas walls with grand brick and mortar halls, housing a range of natural and historical delights.

How to complete the International Museum Day event

For players that have opened the “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” museum, International Museum Day should be available until May 30. While accessing the April 22 update requires an online connection and a valid Nintendo Account, players don’t need to have Nintendo Switch Online membership — that’s for online multiplayer.

Much in keeping with the overall “Animal Crossing” vibe, there’s very little time pressure for the International Museum Day event. Players receive a stamp card from Blathers in the museum lobby. The museum’s fossil, fish and bug galleries each house three stamp stations in any of around a dozen random locations (the museum’s art exhibit isn’t part of the event).

Completed cards can then be exchanged with Blathers for a wall plaque for the player’s island home. Although the activity can be repeated every day, the rewards don’t appear to change. Here, at least, there’s no need to hustle if you don’t want to.